A teacher shared that she found herself in that unsettlingly difficult situation, forced to put her job at risk to help feed a hungry student who the administration refused to acknowledge or help.
The teacher was forbidden from feeding a hungry 5-year-old student who consistently came to school without lunch.
“We have a 5-year-old who would come to school with no food or a single granola bar to last her the entire day,” the teacher wrote in her Reddit post. “We’ve asked the principal if we can get food for her, but for whatever reason, she told us we can’t.”
Despite not having any dietary restrictions or allergies, the principal repeatedly refused to allow the teacher to give the child food.
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They also declined to call the parents because they feared they would be “their first contact” since they hadn’t received any calls from the teacher. “I just am at a loss as to why she forbids us from giving her food. She’s the one that says kids can’t learn if they’re hungry,” she wrote. “This kid is such a sweetheart and never asks for food, but she’ll hoover anything you put in front of her.”
Unsure of how to help, the teacher is considering calling CPS.
“She [gets] dropped off very late and [doesn’t] even have her backpack,” the teacher added. “I’m likely calling CPS very soon because this is ridiculous. I got in a lot of trouble last year because I went out of my way to find food for multiple hungry kids.”
The teacher shared that she works in an underfunded district in Ontario, Canada, and that the free lunch and breakfast services don’t begin until several weeks into the school year. As such, the teacher admitted that she resorted to secretly feeding the student. “They’ll have to fire me before they stop me from giving her food,” she wrote, “and I’d love to see them try and justify that.”
Like the U.S., food insecurity is a major issue in Canada, where 8.7 million Canadians, including 2.1 million children, lived in food-insecure households last year, according to PROOF.
Sadly, households with children under 18 are even more likely to be food insecure, with 1 in 4 children living in a household that experienced some level of food insecurity in 2022. If school administrators and districts were truly looking out for kids, they’d prioritize accessible and equitable school meals and other resources for struggling students. Teachers shouldn’t be left to decide between allowing a child to go hungry or risking their job.
Commenters agreed that the teacher should feed the student and contact child protective services.
“You should call CPS right now,” one commenter pleaded. “She is clearly not having her needs met by being dropped off at school late, no food, no backpack or school supplies, and no one answering the phone. What if there was a genuine emergency … Do not wait for something more serious to happen.”
While it’s easy to pass judgment on this student’s family, it can be difficult for many struggling parents to access the resources they need or to even ask for help. Fear of CPS involvement often keeps parents from reaching out to schools, food banks, or even social services, fueled by a fear of losing their children.
However that doesn’t take away from the fact that this student needs help, these parents need resources to help, and something needs to change in this school district’s administration.
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“I’d call a complaint on the principal, too,” another wrote. “They knew about this hungry student and their parents’ lack of involvement, and they didn’t report it or give the child food. Admin are mandated reporters, too.”
While food insecurity, a lack of funding for school lunch programs, and insufficient protections for students have become an unsettling norm in many communities, that doesn’t mean they should be accepted. Something needs to change, and if it has to start with this teacher’s actions, so be it.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories
